Google bans porn ads from search results

Google has made changes to its ad network by banning the promotion of pornographic websites.

The ban specifically concerns sites that feature "graphic sexual acts with intent to arouse including sex acts such as masturbation."

A Google spokesperson said that the company has had restrictions on its adult category for some time, but not all industry experts agree.

Theo Sapoutzis, the chairman and CEO of AVN Media Network said, "I was caught by surprise. I was one of the very first advertisers for AdWords back in 2002. It's something that's been [untouched] for 12 years, so you don't expect change is going to start happening."

Adult industry insiders say that the impact of this ban won't be clear for some time, as many adult sites are found through word of mouth and by natural search results.

"There are many people who say the biggest losers are the ones who play by the rules," says Tom Hymes, senior editor at industry trade publication AVN. "The winners are the huge properties with a lot of free content and frequent updates — the type of actions the Google algorithms really like.

"But at the end of the day, there are some people out there who have been abiding by every [rule] that Google sets and they're getting cut off at the knees now."

"Porn" is one of the most common Google searches and, according to Google AdWords Keyword Planner, related keyword searches almost hit the 351 million mark in May 2014.

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